R. Michael Lefenfeld is President and Chief Executive Officer of Hexion Inc., where he is leading the transformation of a traditional specialty chemicals manufacturer into an AI- and technology-enabled solutions company. His career has been defined by a belief that science and engineering create their greatest value when bold ideas are translated into practical solutions that improve industries, communities and people’s lives.
An inventor, entrepreneur and executive, Lefenfeld has founded, built and transformed businesses across chemicals, industrial technology and healthcare. Prior to joining Hexion, he served as President and CEO of Cyanco International, a global leader in materials used for gold and silver extraction, where he focused the organization on growth, operational performance, innovation and safer, more sustainable mineral recovery.
Earlier in his career, Lefenfeld co-founded SiGNa Chemistry and served as its President and CEO. SiGNa commercialized novel reactive materials across energy, petrochemical, chemical processing and environmental applications. He also founded Alkami Consulting Group, a technology investment advisory business, and Blood Gas Diagnostics, a medical technology company. Across his career, Lefenfeld has authored or co-authored more than 100 patents and patent applications focused substantially on scientific and technological solutions to industrial, environmental and sustainability challenges.
His leadership has been recognized by organizations including the World Economic Forum, which named him a Young Global Leader and Technology Pioneer. Under his leadership, SiGNa’s technology received recognition including the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.
Lefenfeld also brings significant corporate governance experience. He served as an independent director of Immunome, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company, beginning in 2017, including service on its Audit and Compensation Committees and as Chair of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. His board experience spans public-company governance, biotechnology, scientific research, conservation and community service.
Lefenfeld earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2002 and graduate degrees in chemistry from Columbia University. His relationship with WashU is deeply personal. Scholarship support helped make his own WashU education possible, and the mentorship, intellectual curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit he encountered in the engineering school profoundly influenced his life and career. He and his family now support undergraduate scholarships and engineering education to help extend similar opportunities to future generations.
His commitment to science, education and public service extends beyond WashU. Lefenfeld has served in leadership and advisory roles with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and currently serves on the Board of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, supporting the advancement of pediatric research and scientific discovery.
WashU has recognized Lefenfeld with multiple honors, including McKelvey Engineering’s 2026 Alumni Achievement Award, the EECE Distinguished Alumni Award, Engineering Entrepreneurship Award and Young Alumni Award.
As a trustee, Lefenfeld brings the perspectives of an engineer, scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, CEO, public-company director and civic leader. He is particularly passionate about expanding educational access, strengthening engineering and scientific discovery, encouraging entrepreneurship and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, and ensuring that students are prepared not simply for the world as it exists today, but to lead through the profound technological and societal changes ahead.
At the center of his service is a belief shaped by his own experience: education can change the trajectory of a life, and those who benefit from that opportunity have a responsibility to expand it for the generations that follow.